Stellar Goes Live with Chainlink Data Services to Power DeFi Apps

Bitwise's Chief Investment Officer declares that Bitcoin remains the ultimate destination for investors, insisting that the AI boom or a recession won't divert capital from BTC.

He highlights Bitcoin's resilience across diverse economic scenarios, positioning it as a long-term asset and a store of value that withstands short-term market fluctuations, reinforcing its role as a hedge against volatility.

Illinois authorities have agreed to delay the implementation of the 0,2% crypto asset tax, a postponement of cryptocurrency taxation that brought immediate relief to the market.

Meanwhile, crypto industry lobbying groups in Illinois are pushing for a summary judgment on the tax’s merits, warning that the 0,2% levy on digital assets could set a harmful precedent for blockchain innovation across the United States.

Binance Research’s October 2026 report flags three key crypto market themes: accelerating Bitcoin momentum, heightened sensitivity to real‑yield shifts, and growing adoption of tokenized equity within DeFi protocols.

The note suggests that Bitcoin’s price action is increasingly driven by macro‑yield dynamics, while traditional equity assets are being wrapped into decentralized finance to unlock yield and liquidity, signaling a convergence between TradFi and DeFi that could reshape market structure in the coming months.

Chainlink’s oracle infrastructure is now live on the Stellar blockchain, enabling developers to tap into real‑time market data for decentralized finance applications.

The integration opens access to Stellar’s growing ecosystem, which already supports more than US$4 billion in tokenized real‑world assets, paving the way for new DeFi products that rely on secure, off‑chain price feeds and data streams.

Eigen's Yukon platform is flipping the script on crypto defense by inviting AI agents to launch crowdsourced attacks and uncover vulnerabilities before malicious actors can exploit them.

While many projects retreat into 'bunker mode' amid market uncertainty, Yukon's open-call approach aims to harden DeFi protocols through AI-driven pentesting, offering bounties that could reshape how blockchain security is tested and funded.

Kraken's parent company, Payward, has agreed to acquire Saldo Finance Oy — the Finnish holder of Lithuania's Saldo Bank — for $181 million, marking the exchange's first move into a licensed European bank.

The deal signals Kraken's push to expand beyond crypto trading into traditional finance, leveraging the banking license to offer fiat on-ramps, custody services and new products amid growing EU regulatory scrutiny.